Monticello Man Sentenced to 33 Years to Life for Murder

Jonte Wunner, 27, was sentenced Thursday to 33 years to life in state prison for the 2024 killing of Jose Rodriguez.

Wunner was convicted of Murder in the Second Degree, Concealment of a Human Corpse, and Tampering with Physical Evidence. Sullivan County Court Judge James R. Farrell ordered the sentences to run consecutively, in addition to a 35-years-to-life sentence Wunner is serving in Albany County, bringing his total prison time to 68 years to life.

District Attorney Brian P. Conaty called Wunner “a violent, callous murderer that has no regard for the value of human life,” adding that the sentence “ensures that this monster will serve the remainder of his natural life behind bars, bringing his reign of terror on the community to a close.”

According to prosecutors, on October 4, 2024, Wunner beat and shot Rodriguez, 42, at a Monticello home before wrapping his body in a tarp and dumping it on the Woodridge Rail Trail. Evidence included witness testimony, cell site data, video, and DNA linking Wunner to the crime.

Chief Assistant District Attorney Michael Puma prosecuted the case. Wunner was represented by Matthew Witherow, Esq., and Judge Farrell presided.

Image Credit: Sullivan County District Attorney’s Office.